This invention is directed to the protection of various types of equipment from high voltage transients by means of an improved spark gap which directs high voltage transients to earth ground. Television receivers are exemplary of the type of equipment which are advantageously protected by the invention.
It is well known that transients which are developed on an A.C. power line may be coupled into a television receiver and thereby destroy various components within the receiver. To prevent such problems, it is conventional to include a spark gap across the A.C. power line. Such an arrangement is shown in FIG. 1 wherein a spark gap 10 is coupled, within the receiver, across power lines 12 and 14. As shown, one of the power lines 14 is ordinarily at earth ground, while the other power line is at an elevated potential.
The spark gap 10 typically includes a pair of copper foil elements 16, 18 which are separated by an air gap such that they normally present an open circuit to the power lines. However, when a high voltage transient appears on the power lines, an arc jumps across the gap between elements 16 and 18 to shunt the high voltage transient to earth ground.
Unfortunately, this type of conventional spark gap does not provide sufficient protection for the receiver. In some circumstances, an arc does not form between elements 16 and 18 when a transient occurs, wherefore the energy associated with the transient travels into the receiver and damages various components therein.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide improved high voltage transient protection for electronic equipment.
It is another object of the invention to provide an improved spark gap for use in television receivers and similar equipment.